Rev. Ruth Innes, Episcopalian Christ Church, Falkirk

Last Sunday five people were confirmed at Christ Church when our new Bishop John Armes came to visit.

Confirmation can be thought of as an Affirmation of Baptism where people decide to make the choice themselves, instead of their parents, to stand up and affirm their faith.

Our Confirmands ranged in age from 14 to 60 and it was lovely to see the church so full of family, friends and godparents supporting their ‘candidate’.

However, it leaves us with that age-old problem: how do we keep church relevant and interesting for teenagers? We often have visits from a local secondary school as part of their curriculum and I am amazed at the preconceptions young people have of church.

Some are frightened, some think it will be spooky, many think it is irrelevant and definitely not a place where you can have fun and laughter.

Next Sunday, the Feast of Pentecost, will end our season of Easter. 50 days of unremitting joy we’ve celebrated. Is joy the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of church?

Well, joy was certainly what filled Christ Church this week. And we keep Jim, Eleanor, Alasdair, Rebecca and Sam in our prayers.